Development of a highly novel “Google Street View” inspired solution for laparoscopic surgeons.

Laparoscopic surgery is keyhole surgery performed in the abdominal cavity (AC) and is highly reliant on the design of the laparoscopic systems and the surgeon's skill. Laparoscopic surgery involves using a thin, tubular device called a laparoscope that is inserted through a keyhole incision that provides the surgeon with vision into the AC to perform operations that used to require the body cavity to be opened.

The laparoscope is a long, rigid instrument equipped with a miniature digital camera mounted at the end of the tube with a light source. The surgery is guided by the close-up video imaging provided by such a camera and is viewed externally on a monitor.

The net effect of this design is that surgeons only see what is in front of the camera at any given moment, and it is akin to an eyeball on a stick. Their field of view (FoV) is severely limited, making navigating or monitoring the surrounding anatomy difficult, as in open surgery. In effect, the surgeon must "explore" the inside of the body using the laparoscope and use their anatomical mental map as they work.

Moving the laparoscope constantly to change view is time-consuming, with severe position and angle limitations, ultimately impacting procedure efficiency and quality.

The Company presenting has developed a radical new imaging approach to laparoscopic surgery. They have created separate multiple-needle cameras and illuminators to pass through the abdominal wall, providing surgeons with a varied and vast FoV. These multiple video streams now make it possible to offer an unprecedented real-time view inside the body.

The evolution of this approach is to combine the light and video information from these multiple sources to reconstruct a full, real-time 3D view of the AC. Instead of seeing the AC one frame at a time, this platform will enable the surgeon to achieve any view, angle, or position they want in real-time, similar to Google Earth.

This platform will create a 3D volume of the abdomen, enabling the advancement of subsequent techniques, such as augmented reality, to incorporate virtual anatomy to support the operating surgeon. In effect, the platform will be able to overlay or compliment the view of the abdomen with clinical information that will aid the surgery.

The applicant, Smart Surgical Appliances Ltd, is seeking Future Economy Investor Partnership investment to conduct an R&D programme to develop and test/evaluate the surgical visualisation approach.